


Flames and Ashes

by Shi_Chan



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Smut, Fire Bae, I'm terrible, M/M, Monsterphobia, More tags to be added, Multi, Racism, Rating May Change, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader is male, Reader-Insert, Shitty Writing, Slow Burn, Slow Updates, like seriously, male reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-05-14 17:37:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5752210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Chan/pseuds/Shi_Chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*BEING REVAMPED*<br/>Previously Titled: Flames from the Ashes<br/>--<br/>____ is an average guy. He has a decent job. He lives in a..kinda okay apartment. Sure his office job sucks, but he didnt complain. Oh. And there are monsters. That was still a little..different for him, even though it had been over a year now since they showed up from under the mountain. They seemed okay. He just kept to himself and they kept to themselves as well. One meeting with a monster would change that, though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> *REVAMPING THIS WHOLE STORY*

Oh this was a great day. A fucking **_Marvelous_** day.

 

Sarcasm, obviously.

 

Today was single handedly the worst day that he had ever had at work. The little secretary job wasnt much, but it was a hell of a lot better than serving tables at that god awful truck stop that he had been at..still didn’t help that some new temp spilled coffee all over him. Now, the easily second degree burns, ____ could deal with. It wasn’t the first time coffee had been spilled on him(fresh coffee mind you), but to make matters worse he had no way to have someone bring a new shirt over to the office building. The shirt was wet and stuck to his burnt skin, stinging when it was pulled away from it, the temp kept apologizing for the incident every time he laid eyes on him, people kept staring at him when they walked by the front desk, and, finally, his boss was pissed at him. Apparently  _he_  was the one at fault.

 

Yeah. So after he got bitched at about company policy and dress code, he left to clock out for the day. It was was about 4 o’clock in the evening in December, snow was falling quite slowly at the moment. It was just dusting the ground right now, but the weather this morning promised a good three inches tonight. Great. Just a perfect addition to this day. The cold wasnt helping his burn either as he pulled his jacket close around him. His shirt was more or less dry now, so that was a partial upside it seemed. 

 

While normally he’d love to walk the long way home around the local park, it was cold and his chest and stomach hurt from the coffee burn. He opted to just walk through the park as a short cut today to save himself some trouble. On his walk he had noticed  a shorter ice monster walking down the street, a nice hat made of ice on its head. He smiled and waved a bit in greeting, the Monster not even glancing at him. Eh well the Monster was about three feet in height. They probably didnt notice, seeing as ____ was about 5‘ 9‘’ himself. Monsters in this area of town was becoming more and more normal. It had been..eh..2 years? Or maybe closer to a year and a half, since the Monsters came from Mt Ebott, a very local mountain. Boy, had that been a crazy day. ____ remembered how he woke up, ready to go to one of his two shit jobs, only to get a call saying that the place would be closed, his boss at the time telling him to turn on the news. 

 

Shock was probably the first thing he registered when he watched the local news, seeing the headline being ‘MONSTERS. REAL OR ELABORATE HOAX?’ across the screen as the reporter spoke frantically.

 

Next, he was a little fearful and confused as he saw images on the screen of these..monsters. There were hundreds all walking out from this cave that led into the mountain..no..maybe thousands..He couldnt help being scared. Weren’t most humans fearful of the unknown? 

 

About a year and a half passed since then(maybe? He wasnt quite sure. Maybe he could look up the news article about it sometime to confirm how long it had been) and his own fear had dissolved into more...curiosity, if anything. Coming out of his thoughts, he hummed softly to himself, turning into the park and walking along the path at a slightly quicker pace than usual. No one seemed to be out today and that was understandable, seeing how cold it was. So, when he noticed some kids by the playground of the park, he was a little curious. 

 

He slowed his pace a bit and watched. He could see now that one child was a monster, yellow with no arms. He was dressed for the weather, a thick red and yellow striped sweater and scarf. The other two...huh..they looked to be at least 15 or 16, much older than the young looking monster. There were some soft alarms going off in his head, but it wasn't until after one of the teens shoved the monster down and started to kick him that the real alarms start sounding. His body moved on instinct alone, making a sharp turn and running quickly toward them. He got his phone out and called out to them, hoping to scare them off with a bluff.

 

“H..hey!” He called out, hearing his voice break.

 

“I'm calling the cops, you little fucks better get away from them!” He said, phone pressed to his ear. It was then that the two teens froze, looking at him. 

 

“Dude..I can't get in trouble again, my parole officer will kill me” one muttered to the other and with that, the two delinquents bolted. Once they were out of sight, ____ hurried to the child, who was trying to stand up with major difficulty.

 

“Hey, are you okay? H..here don't try to stand up” he had seen the poor kid take a few blows to the head and he was already concerned about the possibility of a concussion.

 

“Um..here we go” he said, helping him sit up and then looking him over. He had a few scrapes and bruises..but he looked like he was in quite a bit of pain...damn kids.

 

“Okay let's try standing up now” he said and slowly helped him stand. He saw how he swayed and ____ frowned.

 

“I'm taking you to your parents. Are they around here anywhere?” He asked and the kid spoke for the first time as he was picked up. 

 

“..n..no..at home” he replied, whimpering softly. Well..ugh, looks like getting home would have to wait.

 

“Alright..can you tell me where your house is? “ he asked and the little guy just said in the monster district. It was a start at least. 

 

“Okay..we’ll get you home then. What are you even doing out here by yourself? You need to have your mom or dad out here with you..” he said softly and started to walk along toward the Monster District. God he hated that name for it. It sounded so..segregated. Like..this is where Monsters lived. This is where they should live. Sounds a lot worse when you think about it like that, right? He couldn't be live it had been easily over a year now, and yet people still treated Monsters like..monsters. He lived a decent five minute walk away from the ‘Monster District’ so it wasn't long before he was over in there. There was no one out still and ____ was panicking. How the hell was he supposed to find this kid’s house. Coincidentally, this monster kid’s name was actually Kid. Funny right? Finally, as he was walking and talking to Kid. he spotted a small group of people.   
  


  
“H-Hey!” he called out, running along toward them quickly, making sure not to  jostle Kid. Their backs were to him and once he yelled out, they stopped and looked back  at him. He could see them now. One was a tall goat woman in a thick winter coat that went down to her calves and boots. With her was a small human child, holding her hand. He couldn't tell if they were a boy or a girl, but eh that wasn't really the issue at the moment. The last guy was was a shorter Skeleton, wearing a thick looking blue jacket and..shorts, oddly enough. There seemed to be a moment of confusion before all three of them looked panicked, the skeleton looking at ____ in a more accusing way if anything. 

 

“Oh my stars! What happened?” The woman asked and ____ stopped in front of them.

 

“Some kids were messing with him in the park. I dont know if he’s hurt bad, but he got kicked in the head a few times..Do you know where he lives?” He asked and the woman nodded, holding her arms out to him.

 

“I’m a teacher at the school in our district. He’s a friend of my child Frisk” she said, her voice soft but obviously worried. ____ handed Kid off to the woman, Kid whining softly as he was jostled.

 

“Thank you so much ma’am. I was really worried about getting him home.” He said and the woman nodded.

 

“Of course. We should go, its quite cold out here. I don’t want either of these two getting sick” she said and balanced  Kid in one arm, holding Frisk’s(their child apparently) hand with her free one.

 

“A..Ah..yeah. I hope he’s okay. Um..you all have a good day!” he said awkwardly and saw them off. He swore that skeleton was glaring holes in him. It made him shudder as he hurried off back towards the park to get to his house, which was still on the opposite side of it. It seemed to have gotten even colder and he whined softly to himself, walking quickly. Finally after what felt like forever, he made it back into his tiny one bedroom apartment. He would be happy once he could get some burn cream on his chest and stomach and some dinner. Well..things couldn't be too much worse right?


	2. Chapter 2

Remember when he said things couldnt be worse?

 

He was wrong.

 

It wasnt even more than a week before he was standing in front of his boss, looking at the man with a clearly dumbfounded expression. 

 

“What?” he asked, as if he hadnt heard him the first time. His boss sighed and shook his head, looking almost annoyed with the man in front of him.

 

“I said you’re being let go” he repeated in a calm tone, ____ still just staring at him. So he was right. He hadnt just imagined the words like he thought he had. 

 

“Your last check will be mailed to you. The company thanks you for working with us up until now” the man, his ex boss, said in a more or less monotone voice, placing a box on the desk. When the shock was gone, ____ was furious. He didn’t want to risk being thrown out, so he just snatched the box and was grumbling profanities as he left to clean out his desk. 

 

‘fucking boss..fucking higher up assholes..’ he thought, turning his glare on anyone that was so unfortunate to cross his path. He huffed and straightened out his posture. He wasnt going to storm out of here. He would walk out with dignity.  

 

...

 

Okay so he stormed out, but who cared anymore. He wouldn’t be seeing them again. He grumbled to himself as he walked back home. It wasnt as cold today, but still it was enough that when he got home, he threw the box onto his couch and took off his work clothes. Changing into a long sleeved shirt and jeans, a beanie, a pair of boots, and his coat as well, he was marching right back out the door and down the road. 

 

He didnt realize which way he was going until eh noticed that he..had no clue where he was. It didn’t take long to figure it out though when he noticed a place called Muffets Spider Cafe. It only took a small glance as he passed to see the spider monster inside. He was in the monster district. Hm..well..

 

There had to be at least one bar around here.

 

With a determination in his heart, he walked on, looking at the buildings as he passed. The place was a really nice community it looked like. A lot of family places, a few businesses..all really small and quaint. It was nice. Humming to himself, he spotted a building with  a large sign above it that said ‘Grillbys’ hm..looked promising. Crossing the street carefully, he walked until he got up to it. Shit he could feel the warmth already.

 

Oh hell yes it was a bar. 

 

Kicking off the snow from his boots, he caught a glimpse of a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the window before he walked in. 

Warmth washed over him as he walked in, but he felt anxiety flare up as a few people looked at him in caution. He gave a hesitant smile and walked over to the bar, slipping  onto a bar stool. He slipped off his coat, finding it way too warm to keep it on now. He didnt see anyone behind the bar at the moment, but he didnt mind waiting.  He hummed and looked at the menu up over the shelf of bottles. He was a little hungry too, so he might end up eating too. Hmm..

 

“heya guys” ____ jumped a bit when he heard the front door open, a deep rumbling voice speaking up. Everyone seemed to know him.

 

“Hey Sans!”

 

“Sansy~! Gonna buy me a drink today cutie..~?” some one slurred, obviously drunk, and the guy chuckled. 

 

“nah not today tina. it’ll be a cold day in grillbys when i actually pay for something” he mused and a few people laughed” ____ was curious now and looked back to see a familiar looking Skeleton walking over, sitting on the stool next to him.

 

“sup” he said in lazy greeting.

 

“Oh hey..we met last week right?” ____ asked, though he was pretty sure that this was the same guy. He was wearing the same outfit and everything.

 

“hm..maybe bud. i ain’t got the best memory no brain in this empty skull to remember things” he said, tapping a knuckle lightly against his skull, chuckling. ____ snickered as well. 

 

“Well..since I didn’t really get to introduce myself last time, I’m ____. Hows the kid doing?” he asked and the skeleton hummed

 

“sans. nice to meetcha. he’s fine now. so. what brings you over to this side o’ town?” he asked and the talking seemed to quiet around them. Shit..people were listening. 

 

“Oh..um..just looking to get a drink, some food too. My friend said monster food tastes really good..and I was walking this way and..well...here I am” he said, a hint of nervousness in his voice. His friend who lived in the monster district had mentioned that her and her girlfriend had gotten to try some monster food and it was really good..though of course that wasnt why he chose to come here. He just didnt want to sound suspicious. He knew how some humans were, so he didnt want to come off like that.

 

“hm..well if you want good food, you’re in the right place. grillbz makes a mean hamburger” he chuckled and patted ____ on the back. The talk around the bar seemed to go back to normal then. 

Once the name had been said, ____ heard a door open and close and looked up. He forced down a gasp as the person walking over to them behind the bar. He was on fire. 

 

Literally this guy was a walking flame. Holy shit.

 

“sup Grillb.” Sans greeted casually and the bartender(also the owner of the place?) nodded to him in greeting. His face was blank besides the molten white eyes behind glasses. There wasnt a nose or a mouth on his face and the only sound that left him was the soft crackling from the flames that flickered off his head. 

 

“ya know..i know grillby is /hot/ and all. but no need to stare kid” Sans said with a chuckle, making ____ realize that he was indeed staring at the monster. His face lit up a deep red and he looked away.

 

“A..Ah..sorry” he apologized sheepishly and glanced up to see the fire monster giving a dismissive wave.  Grillby sat a bottle of ketchup in front of Sans and the looked to ____ then nodded in the direction of the menu. Oh..he was asking what he wanted.

 

“Oh um..Some fries..and a hamburger sounds good..o-oh um..and can I get a coke and whiskey?” he asked, fumbling over his words. He was still embarrassed about staring..

 

Grillby nodded then and left to the back again. It wasnt very long before he was back with the food. That..was quick. The food was freshly made though, the steam from them being evidence of that. He sat the hamburger and basket of fries down in front of him and ____ thanked him, getting a fry and taking a bite.

 

Oh wow..

 

He popped the rest of the fry into his mouth and chewed, swallowing. Then he ate another and another. His friend was right when she said monster food was amazing. It was like..the flavor was amplified and..it was just too good for words to describe it.

 

“told ya the food here was good” sans chuckled and ____ nodded. 

 

“Damn right its good. This is amazing” he said and Grillbys shoulders moved up and down a bit like was was chuckling as he made the drink for the human man. Once the glass was sat down, he took a small drink of it. 

 

“Are the drinks..?” he looked as Sans who nodded.

 

“all infused with magic. just like the food. strong stuff, better pace yourself kid” he said and the other nodded some. 

 

“Well I know where I’ll be coming to wallow in booze for now on” ____ chuckled as he took another drink, relishing in how it burned then warmed his blood. 

 

For awhile he sat there and chatted with Sans, listening to puns and jokes and giving a few back as well. He had long since finished his meal and drink and was sipping on some water now.

 

“So..this asshole, after all the work he piled on me all fucking week..just..fires me! Can you believe that? Jokes on him..I put salt in the coffee pot in the break room before I left..” ____ laughed and Sans snickered.

 

“salt? thats cruel” he chuckled,  nursing his bottle of ketchup(which ____ had voiced already how..gross that was, to which Sans retorted with some snarky pun). 

 

“All them bitches deserve it. I’m pretty salty right now and I wanted to fully express it in a way that wouldnt get me sued” he huffed and Sans just laughed. He glanced back at the door and noticed how it was dark out. 

 

“Welp. Better head home” ____ hummed as he got his wallet out and pulled out twenty dollars. It was more than what was necessary for the meal and drink. Grillby looked at ____ curiously as he laid the twenty on the table.

 

“Take whatever’s left outta that as a tip” he said with a smile, slipping on his coat. He started to leave, giving a small wave as he did. 

  
“Seeya Sans. Seeya Grillby” he said , glancing back at them before walking out into the cold and dark streets. 


	3. Chapter 3

____ had gotten home without issue. New Ebott wasn't a dangerous town, but he was still anxious walking home. Tipsy, but not yet sleepy, he ended up laying on his couch, flipping through tv channels until he settled on some movie. Before long he was out cold on the couch.

The rest of the week was similar to that day. He’d go to Grillbys, have a drink, and talk to people until he had to leave. The people in there were pretty cool. Especially this group of Dog monsters. They were a ball of fun. They were in there most days playing poker at a table. Sans sometimes played with them and invited ____ over one day. Man he had been so nervous at first, but once he got past the fact that Doggo was only staring because he couldnt see ____ unless he was moving, everything was pretty awesome. They all worked as guards at the mall and two of them were um..more dog like than the others. That being in the sense that they didnt speak other than barks, which the others could easily understand and translate for him. That and Greater Dog(GD for short) always whined and nuzzled against him to be pet and given attention. It kinda reminded him of the German Shepard he had when he was kid. He didn’t mention this, though.

Today was a visit that he mentioned the first time he walked in here.

He was here to wallow in booze.

The second that he was in the stool, he was letting his head smack down into the counter. The elemental monster(the name he had learned for monsters who were made of things like fire, water, etc) behind the counter jumped a bit, his flames giving a ‘woosh’ of surprise.

“Grillby..I don't care what it is, I want a shot of the strongest stuff you got” ____ said from where he was still face down against that counter. There was silence for a moment before what could have been a sigh came from Grillby. He moved to find the bottle on the shelf then grabbing a shot glass. Sitting it on the counter next to the others head, he poured the shot with ease. Sitting up some, he took the glass and knocked back the shot without a second thought. The strength of the alcohol hit him hard and he shook it off after a moment, pushing it a little closer to ask for another. Grillby poured it and looked at him expectantly. Oh..he wanted to know what was wrong.

“I’m telling ya Grill..I’ve applied to every single place in this damn town..well..I haven't delved over here yet, but ugh..I mean the monster is a last ditch effort since its such a long walk over here and the buses don't always stop over here..” he muttered, drinking down the next shot and whining.

“I’m gonna have to start applying places around here..” he whined and got another shot, feeling that drunken feeling creeping up on him as he took another shot. How many was that now..three? Man this stuff was strong. ____ let out what he could have described in a sober state as ‘gross sad sounds’

“...You know...” a soft voice spoke up, just barely loud enough for ____ to hear, and he looked up, seeing a small line of white on Grillby’s face. Was..that his mouth..?

“...I am still looking for someone here...” the whispery voice came again and it was indeed Grillby, a little wisp of smoke escaping his lips with each word. It took ____ a moment to figure out what he said before ____ was literally throwing himself over the counter to hug the elemental. Had he been even a bit sober, he would have been worried about being burned, but right now? The flames of Grillby’s neck, to which his face was pressed against, was warmer than the average human, but it wasn't so much so that it hurt. It was nice.

“Thannnk youu Grill~!” he exclaimed, clinging to the quiet bartender, whose face was tinted a deep blue. Silently he tried to peel ____ off of him, ignoring the slight chuckled from other monsters around the room.

“Imma need another shot~!” ____ slurred happily and Grillby huffed as he managed to get the human back into his seat.

“..I think you have had enough, ____..” he murmured softly and there was a very barely noticeable shiver from said human. Did he ever mention that he had a major crush on this monster? No? Well he did, and _god_  did he love hearing his name being said in that deep and raspy voice.

“Buut Grill-” he started to whine only to get a finger pressed against his lips and a stern look.

“...You will stay right here until we close and then I will escort you home..” he murmured in a tone that couldn't be argued with. ____ pouted, but didn't try to argue, just resting his head on his arms. Fine he’d sit here..because he wanted to, not because he had to. He was a little sleepy anyways. Hah..showed him..what..for..

...

The next moment that Grillby went to check on ____, after returning from cutting off Tina with her last drink, he wasn't all to surprised to find him fast asleep. He chuckled softly and shook his head. Well..he would much rather having ____ asleep there than wandering outside late at night.

The rest of the night passed quite easily and he waved to the last few monsters that left the establishment. Walking back from where he had locked the door, he went to where ____ was still sleeping soundly. He shook his shoulder very gently, trying to stir him awake, but all he got was a whine and the human hiding their head deeper in their arms.

“...____...” he said softly and when he got not response, he sighed and frowned. Carefully, as to not wake him, Grillby very carefully lifted ____ up into his arms bridal style. He turned the lights out in the bar as he went out through the door to the left of the bar. It led into the kitchen, but another door past that led to a stair case. There were two apartments above the bar, one belinging to Grillby and the other vacant. He hoped that ____ wouldn’t be upset that he brought him up here..but it was the only option that he had at the moment, seeing as the man wasnt wanting to wake up any time soon. Grillby didn’t mind sleeping on the couch as he took ____ to his room and laid him on the bed before getting some night clothes to sleep in, going to rest on the couch.


	4. Chapter 4

There was a dull pounding in his head when ____ next awoke. He sure got what he asked for when he had asked for the strongest alcohol that Grillby had. Huh..? Was..he in a bed? When had he gone home? The last thing he could remember was pouting after being cut off from more shots...

His eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly. Yeah. He had no clue where he was. Well, he was still dressed in what he was in last night besides his jacket and shoes. So, he hadnt wandered out and was picked up by some creep..well he hoped not at least. Slowly standing up and groaning at the hangover he had, he made his way out of the room and looked around. He was in an apartment, or a small house. He heard soft footsteps and tensed before he relaxed, seeing a familiar face.

“Oh..Grillby. Um..hi” he said awkwardly, trying not to stare and failing miserably. The flame monster was in a pair of grey sweats and a black tanktop that contrasted greatly with the oranges and yellows of his body. There was a silence between them then and ____ had no clue what to do about it.

“...I see you’re awake...” Grillby finally murmured and ____ was broken from the spell.

“A-Ah um..yeah. Did I..pass out or something..?” he asked, embarrassment filling his voice. The monster nodded and ____ groaned. It was a mixture of pain and embarrassment.

“Shit- I’m so sorry you probably had to carry me. Ugh. I’m so sorry Grill. I didn’t say anythign weird did I? I..I know I can be a babbley drunk sometimes and-” he was cut off as he heard a very soft chuckling. Was..Grillby laughing?

“...It was no issue ____. I would much rather have you here than be worrying if you made it home okay..” He murmured and ____ gave a sheepish smile.

“Sorry still. I’ll make my leave then. Thanks again Grillby” he said with a small smile and the elemental nodded some.

“Would you...like breakfast first...?” he asked curiously, leaving it open as an offer without really offering. The human paused and considered the walk home and his quietly rumbling stomach.

“Hm..Ya know..Breakfast does sound really good” he said and the monster simply nodded. He kidna felt bad making the monster talk so much. He had gotten enough bits and pieces of information from Sans and other monsters over time that Grillby didnt particularly like speaking and refrained from doing so unless he had to. This was further proved but a couple of times he had seen the elemental signing to Sans when silent questioning and motioning didnt suffice. ____ wanted to learn sign because of this.

He had an online friend who was mute and knew sign and the two of them texted a lot, so he considered asking them if they could help him learn...but then again he didnt want to bother them with that. He was sure he could teach himself some stuff with enough time and a lot of research..and while he was trying to surprise Grillby, if push came to shove he could always ask him for help...

He was so lost in his thoughts that ____ didnt notice that his body had moved on autopilot to follow Grillby to the kitchen. He was just sitting at the table when he came back from his mind. There was a nice silence between them and ____ didnt want to break it, but a random memory came to mind from last night. Or..maybe it was a dream? He really had too much to drink..

“Ya know. I had the weirdest dream last night” he mused and saw the monster turn his head back to him in question, silently asking for him to continue.

“I dreamt you had offered me a job at your bar. Crazy right? I need to learn to pace myself when I drink” he chuckled to himself, shaking his head, and then looked up as a cup of coffee was sat in front of him.

“Oh thank-” he was cut off by the soft voice of the monster.

“I did offer you a job ____” Grillby said simply, moving to the fridge to get a few things from it. There was a short pause of silence that hit the room as ____ realized what had been said.

“O...Oh” he strained out. Grillby wasnt the type to joke, so ____ knew that this was serious. He felt the silence building and he tried to think of what to say.

“U..Um..Ah, when do I um..come in for work? Um..what should I wear?” he asked finally and he swore he heard the monster chuckle.

“White shirt and black pants...we can discuss your hours over breakfast” Grillby murmured.

“Oh, I dont really care when I have to work, I’m free all days of the week and any time of day” ____ said quickly as he watched Grillby cook. He was almost too distracted by him..the elemental monster moved so smoothly as he was making their breakfast. He seemed to be..just totally in his element like this.

“Hm..well..If you could work mondays through fridays, I would greatly appreciate it..” he saod softly.

“I wouldnt not want to be over working you..” he added on after a short pause. ____ moved to speak up then, a frown set on his lips, though the other had his back to the human and wouldnt be able to see it.

“No no no. I can work during the weekends too! I honestly dont mind Grillby. I mean..If you have to work everyday all week, I want to do so as well!” ____ said, sounding very sure of himself. There was a pause of silence from Grillby and then there was a sigh that ____ had become very familiar with. It was the sigh that was only held for Sans and himself when the two were doing something that Grillby just _knew_  he couldnt talk the pair out of. It was one of those sighs that made ____ grin in knowing both that he had ‘won’ and that it was something that he (and of course Sans) would get to hear specifically.

“...If it’ll satisfy your worries, I dont see a way to convince you otherwise. You can work the same times as I do” he said, though ____ knew that would mean he’d be working from opening to closing all the days Grillby had the bar open. Not that the human minded. He didnt mind at all, to be honest.

“Great. Now then, if you want, I can eat breakfast and run home to find clothes for work- Oh...wait what day is it?” he asked and he heard that soft, almost inaudible chuckle.

“Its Sunday ____. The bar is closed today. But..I would appreciate it if you could come in at 10 tomorrow morning..” the monster murmured and moved over to the table with two plates of food and a cup of coffee for himself. Well..this would be interesting to watch..

Now, as weird as that thought might have sounded, ____ had never seen Grillby eat or drink anything before, so he couldnt help but be curious. He, though not questioning how the food had been cooked so fast seeing as Grillby barely ever took any time at all cooking, took the plate given to him. It was a simple breakfast, scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon, but damn did it look good. That was the thing about monster food, which he assumed this was, was that no matter how simple the food item it was, it always looks _so_ delicious. It was probably due to it being magic, but ____ couldnt care less.

“Thank you Grill, it looks amazing. And yeah, I can come in tomorrow no problem” he replied as he got a mouthful of the eggs. Oh yeah. Monster food. Fuck this stuff never ceased to amaze him with how good it was. Grillby seemed pleased by his obvious reaction as his flames rose slightly and flickered.

“I’m glad you like it. Sorry that I dont have anything ah...physical for you to eat” he murmured and took a sip of his coffee. ____ watched in slight amazement as steam left his mouth for a short moment before dissipating. Uh..what had he said before? Oh right..the food. ____ knew by now that monster food wasnt physical once consumed. It would give a human energy and make them feel full, but in reality, their stomach would still be empty. ____ still loved monster food, though. He’d just have to snack on something when he got home to make sure that he got something in his stomach.

“Oh um..yeah no its fine. I love monster food. It tastes amazing and it’ll at least keep me from feeling hungry until I can get home to snack on some boring human food” he said, smiling at his friend and now boss. Hm..god he couldnt stop staring as Grillby ate. Maybe it was because he was a walking flame, but it was just so...different to think about how he consumed food. Though, of course, he knew that monster food dissipated very quickly and that was why the elemental could eat and drink. But, nonetheless, it was still very interesting to observe. He tried his best not to look like he was staring. Especially when he took a bite of his breakfast. Before now, ____ had never seen much of Grillby’s mouth. A sliver of white maybe when he was murmuring any reply to him or Sans, but now? Now he could see the white hot molten inside of his mouth. It was..well...god it was beautiful. ____ wondered if his inner unknown pyromaniac was coming out, but he couldnt help it. Everything about Grillby was just so interesting.

Grillby seemed to finally take notice of ____’s staring and his cheeks seemed to slowly go from red, orange, yellow, then blue. The flames on his head seemed to dull at the same time and ____ was pulled from his thoughts.

“..I..I’m sorry. I know my appearance like that is a bit unnerving. I didnt meant to make you uncomfortable, ____” he said and this was what really snapped him out of it. Though his cheeks burned a bright red at being caught, he tried to fix his mistake quickly.

“N-No! I mean, no you’re not making me uncomfortable at all Grillby! Its not unnerving in the least bit I promise! I um..I’m the one who should be apologizing. I didnt mean to stare..you’re just..you’re really interesting Grillby” he admitted, his face getting redder and redder by the second. There was a silence between them before Grillby broke it.

“...I see” he murmured.

“I um...I’m really sorry again. Uhm..I should get going, thanks for breakfast Grillbz. It was great” he said as he downed the rest of his coffee. Huh..that was weird. Wasnt his head hurting earlier? He should have a massive hangover still. Had Grillby..? Hm..He’d have to read up on magic and look into that more. He got up and smiled.

“Tomorrow at 10, right?” he asked and got a nod from his friend who was taking ____’s empty plate to put it into a dishwasher.

“Alrighty! I’ll see you then! Later Grillby!” he said and scurried off to the living room where he got his things and left quickly. Well damn if that wasnt awkward. Groaning, ____ trudged through the snow on the sidewalk that needed to be cleared as he went in the direction of his apartment.

On the way there, he was walking along the mostly empty sidewalk when a soft noise caught his attention. It was coming from an alley way where he had been walking past it. Stopping, he paused and stepped into the alley to listen again. From a lone box that was wet from snow, ____ heard a tiny whimper. Brows knitting together, he walked over to the tiny box and peered in with curiosity. Its contents surprised him. It was a puppy and a kitten. The pup was possibly 5 or 6 weeks old and the kitten was maybe 4 weeks old. It was so tiny. Why the two of them were there together was far beyond ____’s mind, but he knelt down, taking off his jacket.

“Hey there little guy..hey..its okay” he said to the puppy as he gave it a little pet. It was freezing. ____ pursed his lips and then made a split second decision. Carefully he gave the pup a few more pets before picking it up and wrapping it in the jacket. Next was the kitten. It seemed to have been sleeping, because it gave a tiny mew after stirring. ____ picked it up as well and placed it with the puppy. This should keep them warm enough until ____ could get home. They both looked thin and ____ was concerned for their health and if he was already too late for them. Still, he felt a surge from the core of his being and he stood up, holding them close as he rushed along home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader gets some furry friends (For both the cat and dog lovers out there!)


	5. Chapter 5

FUCK I THOUGHT I POSTED THIS ALREADY--

Ahem

So I meant to post this a long time ago, but I (not so anymore) recently made an au called LostTale. I made a comic and am writing a story for it. It was hard enough to juggle two stories(which I did poorly) and I'm really invested in this au, so I'm stopping all work on this and my other story to work on this. If you want to check out my story for LostTale, I'll link it at the end of this little thing

To answer some questions before they're asked:

Q: Are you going to abandon this story?

A: No, I wont be abandoning this story. It's just being put on hold until I'm happy with this Au's story. I will work on chapters in my off time, but I dont think any will be finished. Once I'm done, I'll be back on this one!

 

Q: Why dont you just work on all three?

A: Do I really even need to answer this? I mean have you seen how slowly I update with just two stories? It would just be a disaster.

 

Q: I only want you to work on this story. This is the only good story you've made

A: I'm sorry, but until this other one is done, I wont be working on this D:

 

Q: Why do you keep making new stories?

A: Because I'm a glutton for punishment.

 

I'll be back to this as soon as I can! Thank you for following this story up until now! :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reset and Restore:  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/11023056/chapters/24565254


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally working on my stories again :)

Door slamming shut behind him, ____ moved to his worn out couch to set down the bundle of his jacket gently. Okay. Okay what did he need to do. Food. Food for them. They were too small for hard food..so squished up bologna would work right? Oh god ____ had no clue what to do.

Scurrying off to his kitchen, he got into the kitchen and got out a nearly empty pack of bologna then washed his hands so he wouldn't get anything on the food. Getting a slice out, he made quick work of squishing it up on a paper plate. He paused a moment before getting a small bowl to put water in. After that. He went back to the living room and sat in the floor, picking up the jacket and carefully moving it to the floor as well. ____ started with the kitten first, getting a bit of the mush on his finger before placing it near the kittens mouth. It sniffed at it before giving a tiny lick, then devouring it quickly and meowing loudly when it had eaten it all. _____ thought it was cute, but moved on to the puppy, placing the plate where it could see it. It also inspected the plate before digging in quickly. With the kitten also knowing of the food, ____ moved it so it could eat as well. The little thing almost climbed in the plate to eat. He also moved the bowl closer so that they could get to it. Everything seemed okay, but he'd have to take them to the vet, no doubt..

Hm..maybe before that he could have someone else come to look at them. While still keeping an eye on them, ____ got out his phone and went through his contacts until he came upon the name he was looking for. He tapped on the icon next to ‘Dogressa’ and typed out a quick message.

:Hey Dogress! So, I know this is a little sudden, but I found this stray puppy out in this alley and I’m worried they might be sick or something..can you or Dogamy come over and look them? I can give you the address: he sent it and then waited, picking up the puppy carefully once it was done eating and looked it over. It didnt look like it had anything wrong physically. It was too cold for fleas too..it just looked a little thin. Though being out in that cold could leave the poor thing sick. Laying the puppy back down, he picked up the kitten next. They both seemed to be feeling better after eating, but ____ was still concerned. After he found nothing wrong with the kitten, he sat it down and looked at his phone when it chimed.

He had a new message from Dogressa

:I’ll be over as soon as I can!: She had replied and ____ wasted no time in sending her his address and apartment number.

...

The meeting with Dogressa came and went and she gave both the small animals both a bill of clean health after healing them(a magic that ____ never knew about). ____ was told to make sure not to give them too much food when feeding them. Something he didnt know is that they could eat themselves to death if he kept feeding them thinking they were hungry. They also talked about his new job for a bit and the prospect of lost poker games before she left. After that..well..the day was kinda slow. He found clothes for tommorrow and made lunch but there was still a lot of time to kill.

He eventually decided to take the bus as close as he could to the shopping center so he could go to the petstore. He needed some actually puppy and kitten food for them, maybe some toys too who knows. He made sure they were okay in the box he had them in, a nice soft blanket on one side and a little thing of water on the other if they got thirsty.

A long and uneventful bus ride there and back later and ____ was back home with the little ones. At the store he had gotten several cans of dog and cat food, two little collars, little toys to let them play with and two food and water bowls. Did he go overboard? Probably. Did he care? Absolutely not. The two had done alright, though he did have to change the newspaper he had in the box. After a bit, the first issue was solved. The two seemed to be doing a lot better already, wandering around and exploring a bit. It was cute. Now came the next delima. Who could watch them during the day while he worked. He was afraid to leave them alone all day long..maybe he could text...no Dogressa had to work most days. Maybe he could just text Grillby and see if he knows anyone. It was worth a shot, at least.


End file.
